Industrial biotech company presents update and additional growth plan at leading industry conference
Glucaric Acid
Glucuronic Acid
Industrial biotech company presents update and additional growth plan at leading industry conference
Metabolic engineers have a problem: cells are selfish. The scientists want to use microbes to produce chemical compounds for industrial applications. The microbes prefer to concentrate on their own growth.
Kalion Inc. (pronounced KAL-LEE-ON), along with 8 other companies, was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to receive $5.7 million in funding with the Agile BioFoundry consortium (agilebiofoundry.org) to advance the fundamental understanding of industrial biotechnology. Kalion Inc. uses machine learning to accelerate the development of high-purity, low-cost glucaric acid. Glucaric acid and its related compounds enhance sustainability as well as improve the chemical properties of products and applications ranging from water treatment, polymers & textiles, coatings, detergents, and pharmaceuticals.
Milton, Massachusetts, July 30, 2020 – Kalion Inc. (pronounced KAL-LEE-ON) has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Phase II Small Business Research (SBIR) grant for $746,822 to conduct research and development work improving the bio-based production of glucaric acid. Glucaric acid and its related compounds enhance sustainability as well as improve the chemical properties of products ranging from water treatment, polymers & textiles, coatings, detergents and pharmaceuticals.
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers published this article about Kalion, Inc. in December 2019.
This article first appeared on Plastics News.
A research team at North Carolina State University says biobased glucaric-acid or lignin additives can dramatically increase the toughness of polyvinyl alcohol fibers.
As a new anti-plasticizer, the additive can nearly triple the resin's tensile strength and double its modulus, and the enhanced PVA fibers can find uses in biofriendly products such as fibers and polymers, detergents, paints and diapers.
Petrol and biochemical plasticizers are added to poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to improve its processability while tuning its moisture sensitivity. But those additives often reduce the mechanical performance of PVA products. In this study, the antiplasticization and properties of PVA containing additives from biorenewable sources are studied.
"One of the greatest challenges dealing with technology this early in the supply chain is that it often requires you to re-think how you might operate throughout the value chain."
Our world demands more materials and polymers to respect the environment and transfer the billions spent on our oil based industries to renewable sources. The challenge arises when striking the balance between these desires and the practicalities of paying more for renewable substitutes. This means that more chemical companies are refining their production processes and the strategies they use to become more competitive on price.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that 38 small businesses will collaborate with national lab researchers through the Small Business Vouchers (SBV) pilot, including four that will work with Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Berkeley Lab) in the areas of bioenergy and advanced manufacturing.
The innovative SBV pilot facilitates access to the DOE national labs for U.S. small businesses, enabling them to tap into the intellectual and technical resources they need to overcome critical technology challenges for their advanced energy products and gain a global competitive advantage.
Eight DOE national laboratories will receive funding to partner with 38 competitively selected small businesses across the country.
